justjacky

Ex-lovers + complex relationships in a variety show setting

This drama focuses on the ex-lovers theme. The main leads are exes who join an ex-lovers variety show. While on the show, they navigate their conflicting emotions and through flashbacks, the audience explores their past relationship. Part of the variety show are also ex-spouses (second couple) and former-classmates (third couple). The structure of each episode is: school flashbacks (main leads only, 5 min max screen time) then present day (all couples) then variety show interviews (all couples, 2 min max screen time).

The centre stage of this drama is the main couple who gets the most amount of screen time. This couple is the epitome of #itscomplicated. I loved the subtle eye contact between the couple, which showed a mix of hurt, frustration, longing and hidden love. Both leads portrayed their characters so well that at times I almost forgot they were acting. Their love story at first glance appeared straight-forward (ex couple reconnecting). But the underlying issues of commitment, childhood trauma and conflicting desires, made the exploration of their relationship more complex. On the surface, some might quickly write off the male lead as a simp due to his deep devotion to the female lead. But what I saw was a man with emotional inner struggles, and a secret longing for his first love after many years apart. On the other hand, some might call the female lead selfish for stringing him along by not communicating her commitment issues. Although slow paced, what I saw was a woman’s journey of overcoming her childhood trauma by becoming self-aware due to a series of events. So yes, some viewers might get frustrated with the leads at certain parts of the drama but it’s good to remember that they’re written as flawed people. They are not robots or perfect humans. The writers did a great job showing how difficult relationships can be to navigate, just like in real life.

The second couple shared equal screen time with the third. The second couple featured a divorced couple who is the ultimate bickering-comedy relief type. For the big portion of the drama I felt like they were better off separated but towards the end, I was pleasantly surprised by the character development of both. For me, they were portrayed as one of those imperfect couples. I like that the writers showed us all relationships can work out if both people put an effort.

The third couple was the fluffiest of the fluffiest couples I’ve ever seen. Both shy and introverted, I like that the writers put them through difficult situations in order for them to find their voices and speak up when it really mattered.

POSITIVE:
- Complex relationships with flawed characters that’s portrayed in a realistic and modern way.
- Ex-lovers theme (second chance romance). Main couple is ex-lovers. Second couple is ex-spouses. Third couple is former-classmates. All three couples are very different and provide a nice variety of romance.
- Variety show setting. The couples are filming ex-lovers show.
- Good character development for all six characters.
- Lots of kiss scenes and skinship.
- Nice cinematography with lovely OST. The blend of visuals and music was done really well and a lot of the romantic scenes looked like music videos.
- Sweet friendship girl group.
- High school flashbacks (short screen time).
- Mix of light-hearted, very serious and romantic-sadness undertones.
- Lots of shirtless scenes (male lead).

NEGATIVE:
- Annoying side characters. The male friend of the female lead at the start of the drama is extremely arrogant, know-it-all and frustrating to watch. But he gets sidelined later on. There is also a very annoying investor’s daughter but she disappears half-way through.
- Ep 16-18 felt draggy as each episode was dedicated to guest characters. Ep 21 was too cliche for my taste. But these characters and situations were crucial for the character development of the female lead. So although a bit boring, they served a big purpose and were neither useless nor fillers.

OVERALL:
I felt like this drama portrayed well the complex relationships of ex-lovers while the variety show format added a fresh take on the trope. All three couples had different personalities and emotional issues which brought a nice variety of romance. The relationships dynamics felt realistic, with a modern approach and had good character development towards the end of the drama. In conclusion, despite some small frustrating parts, this was a very enjoyable second chance romance drama that I recommend.

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Themes of death, loneliness, disability, worthiness, opening to love and family

The drama is about the cheerful and disabled female lead who goes back to her small hometown for a vacation and meets her aloof high school crush. Themes of death, loneliness, living with disability, worthiness, opening up to love, family and emotional trauma can be seen throughout the story.

The female lead looks carefree but is struggling with feelings of unworthiness due to her disability (amputated leg). She puts on a smile while hiding her emotional pain. The male lead is aloof due to his childhood abandonment trauma and has closed his heart to love. He works as a funeral make-up artist which is a big part of the story.

There is a Lover in my Hometown is the previous and also very fitting title. The main plot of this drama is watching the main lead’s navigate through their inner emotional struggles, insecurities and inner desires for a relationship. Woven into the plot are the main lead’s jobs, their family members and life in the small town.

POSITIVE:
- Mature and raw dialogue.
- Realistic and mature plot about life and adult relationship issues.
- Flawed main leads (inexperienced in love). Their thoughts, emotions and decisions always made sense and were portrayed well.
- Great portrayal of the female lead as a disabled woman (amputated leg) that’s woven into the story in a realistic way.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Lots of kiss scenes.
- Hilarious grandma-grandson relationship moments.
- Fun relationship portrayal between siblings.
- Push and pull dynamic between the leads.
- Nice cinematography with interesting colour schemes and camera angles.
- The cutest high school flashbacks.

NEGATIVE:
- Death is a constant theme in this drama, we constantly see a lot of death scenes which makes it very emotionally heavy to watch.
- Harsh mother. She is not the worst cdrama mother but she was constantly unhappy and nagging. I easily get annoyed with these mother type characters and it got to a point where I was skipping her scenes as even her high pitched voice made my blood boil.
- Boring side scenes. It’s a family drama and a drama about a small town so I cannot fault it for that. It’s just a personal issue that I found the mother and grandmother separate scenes as well as the town scenes boring to watch.
- Too realistic. In general I do love the realism in this drama but many times it felt too emotionally heavy. I would have liked to see more softer and happier moments.

OVERALL:
If you are looking for a realistic, emotionally raw/heavy and mature love story, watch this drama.

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Fated Revenge: Angst, Betrayal & Romance

The core of the drama is revenge. The drama is about the war between two nations, and the many characters' fate intertwined with it. The male lead, a Prince, finds the female lead, an archer from the enemy’s nation, who is suffering from amnesia. Although sword enemies, they begin to work together, each for their own personal gain. The first half of the drama follows their journey in the ruthless palace, a mix of revenge, betrayal and romance. The second half of the drama continues this story but also introduces the second nation, where the focus is a mix of survival, revenge and complex love triangle with characters we are already familiar with.

For me, the synopsis and trailer made it seem like the drama is the typical cliche story of enemies to lovers, amnesia trope and palace politics. However, the script excelled in overriding all the cliches with engaging narratives by focusing on a range of multi-dimensional characters. The fresh execution of the familiar tropes and unpredictable plot twists, made this drama hella angsty and addictive to watch.

MAIN LEADS:
- The male lead is the perfect blend of red flag savage killer with his enemies, and a softie with his lover. Maybe it's an unpopular opinion but I love how he beat up the female lead in the early episodes. This is what I expect from a character named as the Killer God, no matter man or woman, an enemy is an enemy. As a huge Chen Zhe Yuan fan, I absolutely loved him, and I’m beyond happy it was him of all people that took this role. Well deserved!
- The female lead is strong, smart and capable. Even though she starts as amnestic, her personality and strong will stays the same. When she regains her strength, she is a freaking badass. Many of the so-called female generals had disappointed me in the past, but Li Qin succeeded in successfully representing a badass, powerful and yet empathic general. It’s my first time watching Li Qin, and it’s safe to say she made this role unforgettable! I’m so impressed, she did a terrific job!

POSITIVE:
- 100% angst. There is not a single episode where I wasn’t stressed, crying or at the edge of my seat watching.
- Real enemies to lovers. It’s rare to find a couple totally savage with each other and I loved every minute of it.
- Great chemistry. I admit I was hesitant at first about this pairing but their on-screen presence was fantastic. The leads fit together like a glove.
- Morally grey characters. Almost everyone in this drama was back-stabbing, betraying or in general ruthless towards their enemies and even their own family.
- Badass duo + perfectly written romance. Savage male lead + vigilant female lead. I equally loved them as enemies, as partners and as lovers. Their weirdly bdsm kinks were highly entertaining to watch. But more than that I loved how later, they always supported one another and had each other's backs. No stupid misunderstandings or break ups. The highlight of their relationship is the fact that the writers didn’t change or weaken one of them to make the other appear stronger. Both were strong willed individuals and together, the ultimate power couple.
- Ruthless palace politics. Everyone was an enemy, everyone was in danger. The enemies never backed down or were inferior to the heroes.
- Plot twist. There were so many unexpected storylines, and jaw dropping moments that I loved.
- No fillers. Every scene, plot, character and concept served its purpose, nothing was without reason and just thrown in there to fill up a writing quota.
- Amnesia trope. It’s very rare to see this trope executed so perfectly!
- Secondary characters. I loved all of them. From the Unhinged Young Emperor, the Spoiled Princess, Heartless Second Prince, Older Emperor, to the Subordinates, Villain Ministers and Empresses. Even if I hated what some characters were doing, I loved watching all of them.
- Family angst. I loved the toxic relationship between the second nation's brothers. More than that, I surprisingly enjoyed seeing the many father-son storylines, especially the angst between the male lead and his father.
- Fated Hearts - the drama truly showed me why it’s titled this way!
- Great cinematography, especially during the murder scenes.

NEGATIVE:
- Final battle. Honestly, the only thing that felt underwhelming was the final scene between the leads and the last villain. Perhaps because the characters had spent many, many episodes apart, their connection was weak and the pay off simply wasn’t there anymore. The revenge didn’t feel as satisfying compared to all the other beautifully crafted scenes. I also wanted the female lead to have the final kill, and that didn’t happen. Still, it was a satisfying conclusion to the story.
- Weak motives. Some of the characters had great motives for wanting revenge but others, not so much. In particular the masked man’s motive felt weak. But still, I don’t fault this too much because when I think about how some people in real life can get petty for the smallest thing… sometimes the smallest thing is enough.
- Storm Alliance. The weakest plot line in the drama but I still think it served a purpose and wasn’t too long.

OVERALL:
This drama is a perfect mix of mega angst, satisfying revenge, unexpected betrayals, savage murders, intricate politics and fated romance. Yes, just like any drama, there are some flaws. But for me, the emotional experience and attachment to the drama is the most important thing, and here I found myself going through non-stop emotions while watching - smiling, laughing, jaw dropping, stressing, cheering and crying. I loved all the characters, the story, the pacing, the ending. This drama has easily become one of my top 2025 favourites. I cannot recommend it enough!

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
"To me, she is not just any woman. She is the woman I'm willing to stay with for life, never leaving nor forsaking." - Feng Suige (male lead)
"As long as I'm alive, I won't let anyone hurt you. Even if I become a wreck, even if I'm down to my last breath, I'll never break that promise." - Fu Yixiao (female lead)

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Chaotic, hilarious and heart-warmingly sweet

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the plot is the original and very fitting title. I went completely blind into this and it was great. It's truly best if you don’t know anything, don’t read the synopsis, don’t watch the trailer, just start the drama!

Having said that, here are some hints what to expect:

POSITIVE:
- Very chaotic and absolutely hilarious.
- Tons of twins and turns.
- Wtf moments in every episode.
- Sweet romance.
- Healthy relationship.
- Beautiful cinematography and OST.
- Nice blend between modern and historical.
- No love triangles.
- Confusing plot at first but it's actually very clever. Later everything is explained and makes sense which bumps up the rewatch value.

NEGATIVE:
- Even though I loved the drama, when I finished it I felt like something was missing to be a full 10 stars. I can't quite put my finger on what though.

OVERALL:
If you want a heart-warningly sweet and hilariously chaotic mini drama, watch this one.

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Morally grey male lead in a palace setting

This mini drama is about a morally grey male lead who pretends to be Eunuch in order to take revenge, and in the process falls in love with his enemy's daughter (a high spirited female lead).

The drama packaged everything that I loved and delivered it to me perfectly.
- Morally grey male lead
- Sweet romance
- Engaging palace plot
- Great cinematography
- Beautiful OST

There are some silly scenes as per usual in a short cdrama but I found them very entertaining and fun to watch. Second female lead is a bit annoying at first but her unhinged behaviour gets funny and her ending is wrapped up well.

OVERALL:
If you love a historical romance with a morally grey male lead in a palace setting, watch this drama.

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Hot chemistry between the leads, passionate kisses, engaging plot with suspense

This short length drama tells the story of a rich heirless (female lead) who's life turns upside down after her father's death. Her bodyguard (male lead) is there to protect her and yet he also hides many secrets of the past. Was her father's death an accident or a murder?

POSITIVE:
- real and hot kiss scenes (and more)
- suspense vibes
- engaging plot
- 100% binge-worthy
- well developed characters (for such a short drama)
- great villain that plays the bad guy really well
- hot chemistry between the leads
- no fillers, no boring parts
- happy ending

NEGATIVE:
None!!!

I highly recommend it for everyone that wants to watch sexy romance with mafia vibes.

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The most romantic and sensual xianxia. Lots of kisses and intimacy.

If you ever wondered what and how dual cultivation works, this drama will show you all! The drama is about the female lead who, during a car crash, is transported to the fantasy world. She takes the identity of a disciple, who is forced to go and serve the most powerful and ruthless Grandmaster (the male lead). Having no other desire except sleeping and eating, she earns the trust of the Grandmaster and his love.

TIMELINE:
Ep 1-19 Immortal arc - I loved this arc. It struck a great balance between developing the romance and giving us a nice angsty plot.
Ep 20-29 Demon arc - Rushed and not fleshed out properly. Lots of concepts were introduced and it felt like I was watching at 2x speed. It had its good moments but also felt short on others.
Ep 30-33 Mortal arc - Rushed and the palace plot felt boring/unnecessary. I would have preferred if the focus was exclusively on the romance, with the final villain lurking until the final episode.

POSITIVE:
- Brilliant romance. One of the best written xianxia love stories I’ve ever seen. The chemistry, dialogue, interactions, everything was perfect. Their love story felt natural, real and gave me the biggest butterflies in my stomach. The couple was funnily so ‘ride or die’ coded as they were either on their way to kill someone or get killed.
- Top-tier intimacy. This is hands down the xianxia with the most kiss scenes, spice and skinship. Their love language is indeed touch!
- ‘Touch her and you die’ male lead. Handsome, strong and tragic. He was the cold-hearted-but-totally-hot morally grey male lead that I love to watch. A red flag when he needed to be and a green flag when he needed to be. Basically a woman’s perfect man.
- Relatable female lead. She was a very down to earth, normal girl, who just wanted a vacation 24/7.
- Amnesia trope done right. This is probably the only time where I enjoyed seeing this trope as it actually added depth and character development!
- Top-notch comedy.
- Decent visuals/CGI. Yes their budget wasn’t big but I still think they did well. The costumes in the second half were beautiful!
- Enjoyable OST.
- Ending. Considering the censorship for these types of transmigrations, the drama did well. I was happy to see the female lead SPOILER in the modern world for 10 whole minutes and actually meeting the male lead face to face.

NEGATIVE:
- Simple plot. The first half was pretty good but the second half was quite underwhelming and rushed.
- Villains. All unremarkable and quite one dimensional. They were just kind of there, being a typical obstacle against the leads.. but they did bring in the angst, so I can’t complain too much.
- Side character. Meh. Except for the cute snake, nobody truly stood out.
- Second couple. Wasted potential. In the first half, the second female lead was against the leads and (for some unknown reason) the second male lead had feelings for her (rather juvenile if you ask me). Then, her bad deeds were all swept under the rug and instead the script told us they were in love?! It all just felt like a bunch of non-sense. If their love story was actually deleted, it would have had zero impact on the plot.

OVERALL:
I wholeheartedly award this drama as the most romantic xianxia. It’s hard to describe my feelings but the best I can say is that watching the leads made me scream, giggle and kick my feet. Despite the simple and somewhat weak plot, the core and strength of the drama lies in the romance. You will love this for the romance, for the undeniable chemistry between the leads, for the spicy and beautiful kiss scenes, for the perfect touch-her-and-you-die male lead. If you are a hopeless romantic, you will love this for sure, as this is one of those stories that make you fall in love with love! I highly recommend it.

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Visually beautiful + slow paced + romantic

PART 1: 10 ⭐
I was hesitant to watch this drama because some reviews say it's boring and there is too much torture. Good thing I decided to give this a chance anyway because this drama freaking exceeded my expectations. From the visuals, the storytelling, the characters, the acting and the music - everything is done so, so well. There is not even a single boring part and the torture scenes are very timid and not horror type at all. I binge-watched part 1 in two days and it was the best thing I ever did.

Main couple is super cute and I really appreciated that for a Xianxia drama the FL is strong-headed, clever and resourceful. The ML is very cute, devoted and strong-willed. I also love mermaids and in this case I love seeing a story about a merman. There are also two side couples that are adorable. In fact I love all the characters, even the villain's personalities are done really well.

Visually it's beautiful, the music is lovely when the ML is singing. There are no more words for me to describe how pleasantly surprised I was with this drama and it's totally worth the watch.

PART 2: 7.5 ⭐
Second part of the story is consistent with the look and feel BUT not as good as part 1. The first half (10 episodes) pacing of the plot is very slow and not much happens. It's quite heavy and dark so not the easiest to watch but the beautiful kissing scenes in between the depressive scenes made up for it. Second half (last 10 episodes) was more enjoyable, the plot moved well and wrapped up the series nicely. The ending of the drama leaned heavily on the dilemma whether all the couples will have a happy ending or not so if you like that kind of angst, you'll enjoy that. The final battle scenes were enjoyable but not as impactful as I would have liked (compared to the first part).

OVERALL: 9 ⭐ I enjoyed the visuals, storyline and romance of the story so I'll highly recommend the drama.

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Fluffy, mindless romance between an artist and snowboarder

This drama is about the love story between the female lead, a comic artist and the male lead, a snowboarding instructor. The female lead is fired from her job and decides to enter a comic competition. Clueless about snowboarding, she hires the male lead as an instructor, unaware that he used to be a professional snowboarded.

The drama starts off quite ridiculous, with over the top comedy, immature and somewhat obnoxious female lead. However after 5-6 episodes, that’s tuned down and the story is more grounded and in fact turns heartwarming. Although the story is very much surface level, there is a pinch of depthness to the male lead’s character which I liked. The third couple steals the spotlight for sure with its uniqueness (disabled girl) and grounded romance. The last 5 or so episodes are a bit boring but still watchable.

POSITIVE:
- Fluffy, cozy romance.
- Snowy landscapes.
- Mindless watch to relax in the evenings.
- Adorable chibi animations at the end of each episode.
- Short training lessons about snowboarding.
- Cute female lead’s clothing.
- Unique third couple: disabled girl with athlete boy.

NEGATIVE:
- Second couple. I didn’t like their behaviour towards each other. The female lead was unlikable and their backstory was meh.
- SPOILER: Annoying break up because of disapproving parents (ep 17).

OVERALL:
This drama is the definition of a mindless watch. If you hate lack of logic, don’t even attempt to watch this. The plot is whatever, so you are here for the cozy vibes. I enjoyed the romance and most of the characters. Granted, it took me a month to finish it as it was my before-sleep watch. Yes, the story is ordinary but if you like the main leads and want an easy, feel good drama, I recommend it.

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Stunning visuals & OST but weak plot

This xianxia stands out with its stunning CGI/visuals, an OST that elevates each scene and unfortunately with a very weak plot. The drama is about the daily life of the Phoenix Warrior (the female lead) and her love story with the only remaining Ancient God (the male lead), who’s tasks are both to protect the realms.

The first 10 episodes start in the mortal realm and show us how the main leads fell in love. The main lead’s chemistry was great and the writers did a great job in balancing their maturity with the ability to still joke around. The fight scenes stand out here with beautiful CGI and the added OST elevates these scenes, giving me chills with its otherworldly vibes.

The middle of the drama is where it got boring for me. Many things were happening but at the same time I felt nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. We were mostly following the female lead and her engagement with her three men (her lover, her arranged husband and her loyal subordinate). I did love their scenes together but I needed more angst and complexity or at least some faster movement and development. Many of the scenes in the Immortal Realm felt like fillers and I had to ff/skip a lot. There was a lot of back and forth between the leads with the vibe “will-they-won’t-they”.

The last 10 episodes delivered in terms of plot and angst. They were action packed and well-paced. The final episode was very unique as it felt like an extra special episode. The drama explained everything well and wrapped up all loose ends.

It’s worth mentioning that there were guest appearances with side love stories that I loved watching. Some were even as short as only 2 episodes but they touched my heart. These love stories for me were a great addition to the drama.

POSITIVE:
- Otherworldly OST. I’ve never heard such a mesmerising OST, it was very unique and made each scene 100x times better. In fact I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have felt strong emotions if it wasn’t for the music.
- Great chemistry between the leads.
- Badass female lead with strong on screen presence especially during fight scenes. Her deadpan look is so good.
- Male lead who can crack jokes with a straight face. He is one of the best jokesters I’ve watched.
- The only drama where I 100% ship a chicken with a man.
- Stunning CGI! One of the most visually beautiful xianxia I’ve ever seen.
- Great fight scenes that can rival Marvel cinematography.
- Hot intimate scene (one but totally memorable).
- Side love stories from guest appearances that are short but totally touch your heart.
- No love triangles.

NEGATIVE:
Only two points but they are very significant!
- Plot was weak as it lacked the complexity and angst that I was looking for. Many things were happening but at the same time, it felt like nothing significant was actually happening plot wise. A lot of back and fourth. Perhaps if the drama was shorter I would have enjoyed it more. I’m pretty sure the whole plot is around 5-10% of the drama.
- Too slow paced and boring at times. As mentioned above, everything was just too calm and I had to ff/skip a lot of scenes (especially in the Immortal Realm).

OVERALL:
This wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but you might enjoy this drama if you want a slow paced and calm xianxia that focuses on the love story between the leads and their daily lives + you want beautiful visuals and music.

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Dark cultivation, corrupt sects, political intrigue and immortal boys love

A well beloved drama by many fans, I was too curious to pass on watching this. Last year I dropped this twice and for some reason I couldn’t watch beyond the first episode. On my third try, I promised myself to finish this no matter what. The drama is about two immortal male disciples who fight against the schemes of the corrupt sects and unveil the secret events of the past. The setting is very much wuxia, the main focus is political intrigue between different sects, with xianxia elements (immortality, dark cultivation, monsters etc).

Episodes 1-2 are a flash forward to the future where the male lead (Wei Wuxia) has come back from the dead. From episode 3, the actual story begins and until episode 33, we follow the plot of how he died and all events that connect with episodes 1-2.

The best part about this drama is hands down the male lead Wei Wuxia and his relationship with the other male lead Lan Zhan. I absolutely loved seeing their relationship build up and all their moments together. Their dynamic was a mix of mischievous bits and “I’ll die for you” vibes. This drama is heavily censored and it was interesting that I feel it’s both acceptable and normal to interpret their relationship as BL as well as a simple bromance. Well, I personally totally ship them as a couple.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot/pacing. The story did always make sense and there were no stupid misunderstandings or plot holes. In fact, some key moments in the drama were executed fantastically and are very memorable. But in general I found the drama too long/draggy and boring at times. After episode 12 I started to ff/skip a lot as I was inpatient to see how it all plays out in the end.

POSITIVE:
- Great chemistry between the main leads. Their dynamic was the best part!
- Fantastic relationship build up and execution of the story between the main leads. I loved all of their scenes and interactions.
- Complex, endearing, hilarious and badass male lead (Wei Wuxia). His lines always cracked me up. His story is memorable!
- The best “if looks could kill” vibes from the male lead (Lan Zhan).
- Music instruments as weapons that look beautiful and totally badass.
- Dark Wei Wuxia with his flute slayed! I love that flute and his look so much!!!
- Brilliant acting from the whole cast, especially the main leads Xiao Zhan and Wang Yi Bo. In fact XZ deeply impressed me with this outstanding performance and portrayal of a character that is the total opposite of his other xianxia “The Longest Promise”. It’s safe to say I’m totally in love with XZ.
- Great villains. A good drama needs good villains and this one did not disappoint in that department.

NEGATIVE:
- Beginning of the drama is hard to watch and many people including me drop it multiple times.
- Not vibing with the plot/pacing. I like angst and political intrigue but this one felt too long, too dark, heavy and sometimes brutal.
- Unimpressive fight scenes. I might be spoiled with the recent high budgeted cdramas I’ve seen but unfortunately I didn’t like the CGI/visuals and fight scenes. Except the flute. I loved the flute. But the monsters and zombie-like people as foes were super weird and skippable.

OVERALL:
The Untamed feels like a classic and I understand the appeal of it even if it wasn’t 100% my vibe. I recommend giving this drama at least 10 episodes before deciding if it’s for you or not. If you want a wuxia setting (political intrigue between corrupt sects) and xianxia elements (immortality, dark cultivation and monsters) with beautiful bl/bromance relationship, give this drama a chance.

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Jewellery business politics + subplot romance

This drama is about the female lead's story of being a pearl diver slave to becoming a successful jewellery merchant. Alongside her journey, we also follow the male lead, a ruthless businessman out for revenge after the tragic death of his family.

POSITIVE:
- Strong-willed, badass and street-smart female lead.
- Morally grey male lead.
- Business politics focused, with romance as a subplot.
- Fantastic storytelling: this truly felt like “her” story, as we follow her journey from a slave with nothing to a powerful merchant.
- Feminism vibes. Women supporting women and showing they can be powerful leaders.
- Beautiful kiss scenes.
- Lovely OST.
- Nice fight scenes. Not a lot but what we do see is really good.
- Beautiful jewellery and costumes, especially Zhao Lusi’s styling was top notch.
- Emotional and baby angst vibes. It has that realism feel to it, with a mix of revenge and scheming around the business side.
- Zhao Lusi: phenomenal acting performance. From her raw underwater scenes, to her angsty slave scenes, to her transformative portrayal of a powerful business woman. This role feels like her best yet, and she truly brought the character to life.

NEGATIVE:
- The second half felt repetitive at times: the antagonists constantly tried to sabotage the female lead’s business. Different scenarios, yes but it was the same thing over and over, which made parts of the drama feel draggy.
- Basic plot: honestly the plot was not that deep, just straightforward business politics with basic villains. Having said that, the drama was still very enjoyable.
- Annoying second female lead: I literally couldn’t stand the character even though the actress was so beautiful. I hated everything she did and everything she said and I was not satisfied at all with how her ending was written.
- Ending: I was not fully satisfied as the writers decided to do a powerful scene off screen, which made it less emotionally impactful.

OVERALL:
This drama isn’t about romance, although there is romance. It’s not about angst, betrayal with dazzling action scenes, even though those elements are there. This drama promised a story about a pearl diver slave, who faces many hardships and rises to become a powerful jewellery merchant - and it absolutely delivered exactly that. For me, this is Zhao Lusi’s best role to date. If you want to see a drama with the strong message “Women can conquer the world,” watch this one.

FAVOURITE QUOTE:
“One tear of a mermaid, so rare and bright, is brought with the blood of countless divers."

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Slice of Life/Romance/Business. Best 2024 modern cdrama so far.

The best 2024 modern drama so far!!! To be honest, I initially felt apprehensive about starting this drama, seeing that it’s 40 episodes and usually those feel very draggy. But this one is truly an exception as almost every episode felt like 5 minutes long. The chemistry between the leads is definitely the highlight of the drama and the well written script and great cinematography make it a worthy watch.

The drama is about the female lead who quits her job to start a business and the male lead becomes her investor. We also follow the side stories of the two female lead’s friends whose main focus is on their romantic relationships. The tone is a mix of slice of life, rom-com and some business.

POSITIVE:
- Slice of life with focus on romance and a bit of business.
- Great chemistry between the leads (I was worried about this pairing but I instantly felt their chemistry from their very first meeting).
- Great kiss scenes and skinship between the leads.
- Awesome dating era (main couple).
- Eye candy (Xu Kai, the male lead, looks great in suits. His shirtless scenes broke the sexy scale).
- Great friendship portrayal (well aside from that one friend. So it is indeed realistic as not all friends are good friends).
- Platonic relationship between men and women (a rare sight in cdramas).
- Many cute rom-com moments.
- Support cast has their own stories but don’t take away from the main lead’s screen time.
- No stupid plot scenarios and cringe scenes.
- No fillers. None of the story or characters felt pointless at any point in time.
- Meaningful script.
- Great character development.
- Good pacing.
- Two side couples that enhance the plot without taking too much screen time.
- Secret crush trope (subtle).
- Cute university flashbacks (not a lot).
- Heartwarming, a tad realistic, life lessons, cuteness and hopeless romantic vibes.
- Realistic topics like sexual harassment, misogyny, corporate hell (at the start of the drama).
- Lovely OST (the english song is a nice touch and one of the songs is sung by the female lead).
- Great acting, especially from the main leads.
- Ao Rui Peng (guest role) stole my heart.
- Brilliant special episode. Truly one of the best I’ve ever seen.

NEGATIVE:
The last 8 episodes slow down the plot and there are two episodes that are a bit too melodramatic and cliche for my taste. But having said that, this did not take away from my enjoyment of this drama. During the last 8 episodes, the main leads continued to have awesome cute scenes together.

COUPLES (MINOR SPOILERS):
- Main couple: Girl boss and her CEO investor. Hot chemistry, great character and relationship development. Definitely a slow burn that I love. This romance and couple had everything you want: sexy, cute, angst, love.
(The two side couples I felt shared equal screen time between each other. But didn’t overtake the screen time of the main leads).
- Side couple: Posh girl and her love struggles. This love story felt realistic, relatable, not always happy and had a very important lesson of self-worth. One of the rare cases where a love triangle was done right.
- Side couple: Sweet livestream girl and her rich lover. The cutest couple in the drama. Bickering to friends to lovers. A sweet slow burn that will definitely make you smile.
- Bonus side couple: Female lead’s friend and ex-boyfriend. Yep, this is a pairing that not everyone would like. Girl code definitely didn’t exist for this girl who went after her friend’s ex. But still, I did find their scene wholesome and realistic. They had little screen time.

OVERALL:
There is something about this script, the romance, the story, the way the male lead is gazing at the female lead, that gave me the warmest feelings ever. Even when bad things happened, it was meaningful and well-portrayed. All the characters felt real and multi-layered. The story felt wholesome, somewhat realistic with hopeless romantic vibes which I absolutely loved. I’ve never seen a cdrama quite like this, a truly wonderful watching experience, this is hands down my best 2024 modern cdrama so far.

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The plot was nothing new and yet I ate it up

I'm really struggling with how to rate this. The drama had a lot of issues BUT in terms of romance and vibes, it's 10/10.

The drama is about Jinzhao, the female lead who, due to a fortune-teller's prediction, was sent away to live with her grandmother. Upon her coming of age ceremony, she is welcomed back home. While dealing with family drama, and outside palace schemes, she catches the eyes of three men. Chen Yanyun, (the male lead) a powerful minister who her grandmother assists. Ye Xian, (the second male lead), an heir from a military family who has a life-long heart condition. Chen Xuanqing (third male lead), a top scholar and male lead’s nephew. As well as, Ji Yao (fourth male lead), her cousin who has doted on her since childhood and helps her throughout the story.

POSITIVE:
- Slow burn was burning real nice! Their marriage era was just as good.
- Mix of romance (at the forefront), family drama, simple palace politics and war (towards the end).
- Reverse Harem. The 4 men loved her differently and all had a significant role in her life.
- Angst. I ate up all the intense confrontational scenes.
- Fantastic fight scenes, including war scenes.
- Satisfying slaps. Probably the most slaps I’ve seen in a historical drama.
- Male lead: calculative, cunning and mature. Morally grey on the surface but it’s actually a green flag. Ci Sha played the role to perfection and Sanye has become one of my top 2026 favourites.
- Female lead: sassy and scheming. What I most loved is that she didn’t let anyone bully her. Ren Min’s best role for sure. Jinzhao has become one of my top 2026 favourites.
- Pretty cinematography and costumes.

NEGATIVE:
- There were lots of issues that were more nuanced than anything. BUT the one thing that truly bugged me was the writing between Jinzhao (FL) and Ye Xian (SML). So, throughout the whole drama, she treated him as nothing more than an ally. And yet in the end he was suddenly her “only special friend” that she suddenly cherished like crazy and displayed strong reactions for??!! The writers totally failed to show me their close bond. It felt weird that while she claimed such grand soulmate friendship, he was openly in love with her?! Look, I actually liked certain aspects of his character, but him whipping her was totally unnecessary and destroyed their bond for me. Plus his manchild behaviour was not it. The potential was there but the writing was off. It would have been better if their relationship was strictly friendship or if he was simply a devoted lead.

OVERALL:
I started this drama solely because of the hot chemistry between Ci She and Ren Min in The Rise of Ning. This powerhouse couple did not disappoint. The plot was nothing new and yet I ate it up. The heart-fluttering romance was truly the driving force in this drama, and if you are purely watching for the vibes, I definitely recommend it.

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Fluffy, healthy main’s relationship, wholesome vibes

The drama is about the main leads who enter a committed relationship, with the desire for marriage, while being strangers to each other. Things get a bit complicated when they start working at the same department as boss (male lead) and employee (female lead).

Ngl, the start of the drama felt very odd and didn’t grab my attention at all but somehow by the end of the episode I was invested.

Ep 1-10
The beginning of the main lead’s relationship. I loved seeing the leads respecting each other due to their commitment and at the same time open up and get more comfortable with each episode. The intimacy was slow and built up well. The slightly annoying part here was that the female lead’s ex was chasing her and trying to get back with her.

Ep 11-20
The progression of the main lead’s relationship was steady. It felt like the writers did a nice job showing us how the main leads work through their misunderstandings. Nothing was dragged out. It felt realistic albeit a bit frustrating. It was nice that the female lead’s ex was out of the picture, however the new nuisance now was the male lead’s ex-school mate, who of course likes him.

Ep 21-27
The second couple totally stole the spotlight for me, especially here. Their love story arc was chef’s kiss. The main couple had many sweet moments. The conflicts were pretty much resolved so it felt like the drama could have nicely wrapped up here without the additional episodes.

Ep 28-32
I started ff/skipping stuff especially the business side and third couple. Ep 31-32 were sweet but too many flashbacks. In general, these episodes were not needed as it felt like they added nothing to the story.

Special Episode
I absolutely loved it as it showed the married life of both couples.

POSITIVE:
- 99% fluff. There were only about 2 episodes where sad things happened but otherwise it was always wholesome, happy vibes.
- Arrange marriage (kind of) + secret office romance.
- Secret crush trope.
- Healthy main lead’s relationship.
- Green flag male lead.
- Green flag parents. Truly one of the best I’ve seen in a cdrama.
- Cute school flashbacks. These are shown after the credits of each episode and are totally adorable.
- Romantic kisses and some skinship.
- Second couple that steals the spotlight as rivals to lovers.

NEGATIVE:
- Odd third couple. They meet as ex-lovers. The girl doesn’t want him but suddenly gets back together with him. The relationship had zero foundation, no flashbacks to tell us exactly how they fell in love, why they broke up etc. It seriously felt like their scenes at the start were cut. 99% of their scenes were as a couple, no individual scenes which made them one dimensional characters. They weren’t annoying per say but totally skippable. Especially their odd ending. Nah.
- Female lead’s behaviour. She can be slightly frustrating at times but that’s because the male lead is the perfect guy so the writers used her as a scapegoat to create conflict between them.

OVERALL:
This is the perfect fluffy cdrama to watch after a tiring day or before going to bed. You get lots of cuteness, romantic kisses and healthy relationships where the male lead is a total green flag. What makes this drama stand out from the other fluffs is its maturity and wholesomeness. Although the drama could have ended 5 episodes earlier, it was still a very enjoyable watch. If you love mature fluff, I recommend this one.

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